Flydubai 2-day sale begins with 20% discount

Flydubai becomes third UAE airline to offer tickets on sale this month to fill up seats during pre-summer lull

By

Vicky Kapur

PublishedTuesday, May 29, 2012

After the UAE’s two full-service airlines offered bargain basement airfares to lure residents into taking a spontaneous break before the onset of peak summer rush, it is now the turn of budget carriers to lower the price-bar and join the fray.

Flydubai, the Dubai-based low-cost carrier, has announced a 48-hour sale on 11 selected destinations, offering up to 20 per cent discounts on its lowest one-way fares.

For travel between June 3 and 20, the budget carrier is offering fares starting Dh253 from Dubai to Karachi and Dh220 from Dubai to Muscat.

“This 48-hour sale starts at midnight on Monday 28 May and ends at midnight on Wednesday 30 May,” the airline said.

“These ‘Pay to Change’ fares include all taxes. There’s no small print, but seats are limited. Just book before midnight on Wednesday May 30, to travel between June 3 and June 20, 2012, and you could fly to any of these destinations for 20 per cent less,” it added in an e-mailed announcement of the sale.

Air Arabia, the other UAE-based low-cost carrier, is offering the same destination (with Sharjah as the origin airport) for Dh320. At the same time, the Dubai-Karachi-Dubai return journey on flydubai can be made for as low as Dh797.38, Air Arabia offers the Sharjah-Karachi-Sharjah return tickets for Dh824.

Dubai-based Emirates Airline and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways had earlier this month announced budget carrier rates to prop up travel during the pre-summer holidays lull period.

While Emirates offered return flights to GCC cities starting as low as Dh590 to Muscat (Oman), Etihad offered return tickets from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, starting just Dh510 to the same destination as part of its 96-hour sale, which ended last week.

The slash in fares by Dubai airlines coincides with Dubai Department of Tourism and Marketing’s (DTCM) ‘Do More in Dubai’ campaign, which encourages travel to Dubai in the summer months.